Aragon MotoGP Quotes and images all riders
Marc Marquez – P1
“I’m very happy to have taken the win at a home Grand Prix, and one of my favourite races. I was waiting for this GP, it was a ‘red point’ on the calendar for me, as I saw it as one where I wanted to attack and where I could win the race. It was an important victory, but nothing is finished yet. I said yesterday that something can always happen in a race, and it was a miracle that I didn’t crash today when I almost lost it in turn 7. That was when I decided to relax a little and go back to my mentality from practice of riding precisely and braking in the right places. All this made for a more entertaining race, with many overtaking moves at the start, and a second part in which I was able to open a gap to Valentino, which was important. He had gone several races gaining points on us, and we wanted to stop that trend, because otherwise it would boost his morale and perhaps create doubts for us. Now we leave Aragón with a larger advantage and more convinced ahead of the flyaways. I was very happy on the podium, but the most emotional moment for me today was when [brother] Alex scored his first Moto2 podium. That was really special for me.”
Jorge Lorenzo – P2
“Sometimes a bad situation or a bad thing brings you a good thing and that’s what happened when I crashed. I got almost injured and was almost in pain, as has happened in the past, but this made me do two warming up laps, one with the hard tyre and one on the soft tyre. Finally on these two laps the hard tyre suddenly gave me a good confidence, even if I was warming up and very slow, so my instinct told me that I needed to change my race tyre to the hard one and this crash and bit of instinct for sure gave me the possibility to do this race the way I was riding it. I didn’t expect to finish on the podium, I thought I would finish maybe sixth or seventh, but finally the race was again surprising. It’s been a difficult weekend for me, but sometimes these kind of situations bring you to the top.”
Valentino Rossi – P3
“We started with a different setting and we tried to be stronger towards the end of the race, but in the final stages I was spinning a lot, but I think everyone was in the same boat anyway. It’s a shame that with two laps to go I made a mistake in braking and I had to go wide. If not for that we could have fought for the second place, but anyway the podium is OK. I’m happy because it’s a good podium. Here, in Aragón, we always suffer a bit. It’s a shame and I’m not fully happy, because I wanted to arrive as the first of the Yamahas and in front of Lorenzo, but unfortunately in the second half of the race he was faster than me. It’s a shame, because I had some cards up my sleeve for the last laps, because I was there, but I made a mistake. I decided to go straight because else it would have been very dangerous for both of us. I lost the four points to Jorge, but it’s another podium. We hope we can improve and that we can be more competitive for the overseas races.”
Maverick Viñales – P4
“Another positive race for me, although I’m never fully satisfied when I’m off the podium, but we must say that we gave 100% today. When the grip was supporting me I could do a really good pace, and in fact I took the lead in the race. I felt really confident and the lap-times came quickly and easily. Then suddenly the rear tyre lost performance due to the consumption and that is when I had to give-it-up a little. I couldn’t feel confident with hard-braking and also in acceleration, and trying to force the pace I made some mistakes that warned me to be more conservative in my riding. It was important to not have a crash and to finish the race; fourth is a lot better than a ‘NC.’ We knew I could have problems towards the end of the race with a worn tyre, we tried to put in some countermeasures with the electronics, but we still need to better-develop this set-up. We are continually learning and my crew did a really good job, we are getting better and better and the results in last races are evidence on this.”
Cal Crutchlow – P5
“I struggled at the start to get the rear tyre to work. This has been a problem over the weekend, some hard tyres work immediately, and others not. Then I got held up behind Dani, Dovi and Aleix, and with the speed of our bike we had no chance. I tried to be able to fight with them in the early laps and get past, but Dani was just accelerating off the corner a little better than me and I never got the run on him. I had to leave it too long to pass and in the end I felt my pace was as good as the second to fourth-placed guys, but it was a little bit too late. The LCR Honda Team did a really good job all weekend I really thought yesterday I could have been on the front row and then I made the mistake. Then today I felt I had a good shot at the podium, but I just never got away with them. In MotoGP when that happens you get punished, it’s hard to come back from a long way back. It was an enjoyable race though, and overallwe are happy because top five in a MotoGP race at Aragon is not bad, but I would have preferred a podium!”
Dani Pedrosa – P6
“Unfortunately, we didn’t have a good result today, as we had a very difficult race. I didn’t have grip since the beginning of the race; I couldn’t exit the corners with good speed, and that turned out to be my biggest problem in the opening laps. I couldn’t open the throttle out of the corner and I lost ground on the front guys. I tried to manage in the best way possible, but a few laps later I started to have an issue with front tyre as well. I started feeling a vibration, and when I finished the race it was clear there was some problem there. I tried to fight with Crutchlow but I had to slow down my pace. It was a shame but now we must look forward.”
Aleix Espargaró – P7
“I had bigger expectations for the race, especially to be more competitive at the beginning because the progress we made in this morning’s Warm-Up gave me bigger hopes. The start was positive but then I struggled a lot to overtake for the fifth position in the second part of the race, which was the one needed to keep in contact with the head of the race. When I succeeded it was too late to catch up. Anyway my feeling was a little better than last races but I still struggle to find a good feeling with the front. I’m not able to interpret the front tyre and exploit its potential. We made a lot of attempts and changes but I can’t adapt my riding style and so I cannot be as fast as I would like to be. I had a really good fight until the end, but finally I made a small mistake on the last lap and I lost sixth position.”
Pol Espargaro – P8
“First of all, I have to thank the Tech3 team who did an amazing job this weekend with all the crashes that we had. The guys were always quick at repairing the bikes and today the motorcycle that I ran with felt very strong. However, I must say that I am a little bit disappointed with myself and the end result. I think we had some more bad luck yesterday and it penalised us to start from 11th on the grid. I was truly comfortable on the Yamaha today and I was confident about my chances, but unfortunately, I made a mistake at the beginning of the race and went wide at the end of the back straight and this is where I lost contact to the group in front of me. Without this slip-up, I would have probably been able to finish in front of Dani and my brother. Nevertheless, a top eight is still positive and the points that I collected are vital for my championship aspirations. Next up is the Japanese GP which is a very special race for me after my second consecutive Suzuka 8 Hours victory so I’m looking forward to seeing the Japanese fans again.”
Alvaro Bautista – P9
“A good weekend for us, ending with a double top 10. I had good sensations in the saddle throughout all the practice sessions and we did a good job. The, in FP4, when I had a consistent pace even with used tyres, I realized that we could do well in the race. I battled with Hernandez and with Dovi, managing to overtake them, and I fell in behind Pol whose times were very similar to mine. We maintained a good pace and I saw that we continued to make up ground on the group that was battling for fifth place, but toward the end of the race I lost a bit of feeling with the rear tyre. In any case, ninth place is a great result for me and for Aprilia, considering Stefan’s performance as well. Since Misano we have definitely taken a step forward and I wish to thank the team and the guys who are hard at work at home. Now we will continue in this direction to finish the season well”.
Stefan Bradl – P10
“I am happy with the top 10 and the weekend in general. We improved during practice and I hope to be able to continue this trend in the coming races. We took a step forward in terms of settings from the Misano race, especially improving in the braking phase and giving me a better feeling with the front tyre. We were able to further perfect things here, finding a good base straight away on Friday and then working to sort the details. Obviously, there is still room for improvement, for example in taking better advantage of the rear tyre to be faster with new tyres, but we are not far off. Now I have high expectations for myself for the season finale”.
Andrea Dovizioso – P11
“I feel pretty bad about the result today because we worked well throughout the weekend: after a very good Saturday, in which we found a very good race pace, and qualifying on the second row with fourth-quickest time, I was sure that we could have fought for the podium. This morning in the warm-up we confirmed that we were at the same competitive level and we were ready to score a good result in the race. Unfortunately after four laps the front tyre began to lose grip, creating a number of problems, and then I started to feel a strong vibration. Obviously I had to slow down my pace, especially because I was worried about the situation, and I lost a lot of positions in the last few laps. Now we have to try and understand the reasons together with Michelin. The fact remains that we had been working well throughout the weekend and ending the race in eleventh place is really disappointing.”
Michele Pirro – P12
“The weekend was a bit complicated for me: I missed the first session on Friday and we had a few problems yesterday so I wasn’t able to qualify well and had to start down the grid. Today’s aim was to finish in the top 10 but unfortunately the battle in the early stages forced me to make some mistakes in overtaking and from half-way through the race the bike began to have a big vibration, but seeing as I didn’t have a chance of catching the guys ahead of me, I just tried to finish my race. I’m disappointed about the result because in my opinion we had the potential to finish in the top 10.”
Hector Barbera – P13
“It was a difficult weekend and our main handicap was the lack of grip on the rear tyre. We tried to find more grip over the three days, but it was not possible. During the race I’ve been sliding all around the track and, without traction, the bike was not fast on the straights. Pirro touched me on the first lap and I was blown off the track. Then I had to recover during the race and it was difficult, but I don’t think the result would have been different without that incident. I hope Michelin will bring some new tyres for the next races, because all Ducati riders had the same problem here. It’s not normal to see Dovizioso just four seconds ahead of us.”
Eugene Laverty – P14
“It wasn’t easy, the start of the race with the full tank was difficult but then I settled into it and got into a good rhythm with Pirro. I wanted to try and pass him towards the end and I got close in the slipstream on the brakes into the left-hander after the straight, but the front tyre was too soft and it started moving around and I ran off the track, which cost me a couple of positions. I could have been twelfth and we ended up fourteenth. Anyway, we’re not too far from the top Ducati so I think we can be quite content. For me the rear tyre wear wasn’t a big issue because with less grip it actually helps me a little to turn the bike but I was surprised with the condition of the front tyre so perhaps the harder tyre would have been the better choice today.”
Nicky Hayden – P15
“I would have to say that the race was my best part of the weekend. I underestimated on Friday how long it would take to get up to speed with the package, particularly with the Michelin tyres and certainly the front tyre. I started too far behind on Friday but in the race I was able to have a battle with Pirro, Barbera and Laverty who were all two seconds faster than me on the first day. I got a good start and really enjoyed battling with a few guys and the more laps I made the better I felt. I wish it was like World Superbikes and we got another chance to line up because I think with the experience gained I could do a better job. But all of us on the grid think like that. I’d hoped I’d come here and be more on the pace on Friday but that didn’t happen. I knew it was a just a one-off ride and I knew it was going to be extremely difficult with no testing but I came and gave it my all. It has been a good experience and I want to thank Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS for this opportunity. I was proud to work with such a great team.”
Yonny Hernández – P16
“I focused on getting a good start and obviously got away well. We are competitive for as long as the tyre lasts and for half of the race today I was fighting in the top eleven, which is the positive we can take away from this round. Obviously there is a problem because once the tyre drops off the bike starts sliding and I can’t move forward. From mid-race onwards all I could do was manage the advantage I had. It is frustrating because you feel trapped and even though you know that you can go faster you are getting passed by everybody because there is no grip. However, we know that when we do have grip, we can be fighting in the top ten.”
Danilo Petrucci – P17
“I am very sorry for what happened with Scott. Since the first corner, I experienced problems with the bike, I could not brake properly, I was always going wide. Unfortunately, I touched Scott. I felt it was not a very heavy touch, but it was heavy enough to push him off the track. I am really mortified. He is very angry and will apologize. The remaining of the race was really hard.”
Loris Baz – P18
“It was a tough race from the first lap to the end. My target was to finish, to gather some data and to take this race as a training session. We finished far, almost twenty seconds behind Hector. He was one second per lap faster than me. I’m not physically fit enough to finish a race or even half a race riding these bikes, so today we did something positive. Now I have to work hard during the next two weeks, train with the bicycle and do some specific work for my leg. I’ll try to go to Japan, Australia and Malaysia in the best possible shape, because I love two of these tracks and I think it will be possible to get good results.”
Scott Redding – P19
“I am very sorry for what happened. I do not think it is a beautiful thing when it happens between teammates. I started quite well then that contact made me go wide and I could not avoid the crash. I continued until the end, but it was really frustrating because in the last 3 races I have not had the chance to fight with the others to gain experience with this bike in dry condition.”
Tito Rabat – DNF
“My confidence wasn’t that high for the race after the crash in the cool conditions this morning in the warm-up. I made a bad start and I was pretty cautious in the first two laps because I was worried about a lack of feeling from the front tyre. Once I got in my rhythm I felt quite comfortable and was improving my pace but once again I lost the front and crashed. It is very disappointing because I could have finished inside the points today. It is clear we have to make some changes to improve the feeling with the front because I crashed losing the front three times in Misano and the same again here in Aragon. It means something is wrong and we have to keep working to find a solution because I am running out of leathers!”
Alex Lowes
“It’s a real shame that I didn’t end my time in MotoGP in a positive way, but I’ve really enjoyed the experience and the whole Monster Yamaha Tech3 team were very welcoming to me. I have learnt a lot and even though it’s a pity that this race didn’t end in a positive way, Silverstone and Misano were fantastic. With regards to my injury, the top of my foot is still swollen and I’ve lost a lot of movement so I’m going to get everything checked as there are a couple of areas that are still sore and I have the Superbike race in France next week. The crash yesterday was big and I feel quite lucky to get away with just this injury and nothing worse. I must thank the whole team again and also wish them all the best for the rest of the season. It was definitely special to complete my first ever MotoGP race in Silverstone as it was my home GP, and I can happily look back on the past month which certainly improved my ability as a motorcycle rider and I hope I can come back to the championship in the future.”
Bradley Smith
“I am really happy that I will be getting back on the Yamaha YZR-M1 in Motegi. I have to admit that it has been challenging for me to watch the last three races from the sofa on a Sunday, even though it looks like the conditions in those rounds were tough. It’s good that this period is over now and I can finally return to the track. I have been working hard on my entire rehabilitation and many people have committed a lot of time and effort to give me the best chance to be ready as quickly as possible. In fact, the recovery process was due to be six months but after the efforts by myself, the doctors and everyone else, I managed to do it eight to nine weeks. For sure, it’s super that I am fit enough to race again and I am excited for the last four MotoGP events of the 2016 season, including the flyaway races and in addition, I am looking forward to seeing the whole Monster Yamaha Tech3 team again.”
Hervé Poncharal – Tech3 Yamaha Team manager
“Pol’s result was a sweet end to what was a tricky Grand Prix. The whole team worked really hard after all the crashes that happened so to finish 8th was much more satisfying than it usually would be. For sure, Pol didn’t feel 100% physically or in terms of confidence, but he gave everything that he had. He lost a bit of time on the first lap, but was strong and consistent from there onwards and eventually finished less than 20 seconds to the winner, which is definitely a good performance. With a better grid position, I believe that we could have been in the Pedrosa, Crutchlow, Aleix group, but in the end I am very happy with Pol as he did his best and we got some strong points. Our Spanish rider is in a good shape, plus his confidence is returning and next up we are heading to the three flyaway races, that are going to be crucial. We are still on course for the top satellite rider position in the standings, which I know, is important for Pol and everyone at Tech3 will push until the end to try to get that title with him. On the other side of the garage, it is a big shame to end the three GP’s with Alex Lowes in the way it did and he was just really unlucky with the crash in FP3. I would like to thank him once again, he is a great guy who showed his potential and that he is more than capable of riding successfully in MotoGP. We all hope Alex recovers well and I want to wish him luck for Superbike race in France as well as for the remainder of the season. Also, I hope to have him again in the box with us soon. Thanks to the whole team who worked tirelessly, but next up is Japan and I hope everybody gets a good rest before we head east.”
Michael Bartholemy – MarcVDS Team Principal
“It is a pity that Tito wasn’t able to finish the race today because when you analyse his lap times he was lapping at the same pace as the group battling for 10th place. So it is a shame that he crashed again and the problem was again coming from the front-end. It seems that he has lost a bit of confidence with the bike at the moment and we must work hard to ensure that we can help him get back to showing his normal potential in the flyways next month. Nicky did a good job today because it has been a steep learning curve for him. He scored one point and that is a notable achievement when you consider Jack and Tito have found it difficult in a few races to break into the top 15. I want to say a big thanks to him for joining Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS this weekend. It has been a privilege to work with a MotoGP Legend and to see up close what a professional he is.”
Massimo Meregalli – Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team Director
“We knew that it was going to be difficult to beat Marquez today, but we tried as hard as possible until the rear tyre dropped, leading the race with Valentino. We have suffered from this problem since the beginning of the weekend and although we tried different settings we weren’t able to fully get rid of the problem. The decision to change the tyre on the grid for Jorge paid off and as a team, we achieved a great result, finishing with two riders on the podium at our Title Sponsor’s Grand Prix. When we arrived in Aragón we had our eyes on the win and we carry this objective forward to the next round where we want to fight for the victory again.”
Ken Kawauchi – Suzuki Technical Manager
“My feeling after this race is half good and half bad; positive things are that Maverick fought for the podium and Aleix did a great race fighting for good position and ending the race without crashes. There is also a little disappointment if we consider our expectations: The weekend was positive with both riders consistently fast and this morning’s pace gave us hopes for a podium and a better placement. Anyway, both riders finished the race, not so bad positions, and also we proved that our work is progressing better and better this season. We will continue to chase our second victory and some more podiums. The next race will be in Japan, many people from the Suzuki Factory are coming to see us and many supporters will crowd the stands; it’s ‘gonna be an emotional one considering that recently we have been consistently fighting within the top teams and riders.”
Romano Albesiano – Aprilia Racing Manager
“A nice race, with two bikes in the top ten in a race without crashes. The gap behind the leader is the lowest we have ever achieved, and that is rather encouraging data. Technically, the trend is very good. It is clear both from the performance in all the practice sessions and from the atmosphere within the entire team, which understandably becomes “charged” when our potential gets interesting. We are on a positive note, but we must keep our feet on the ground. Our work is certainly not done yet, given our objectives. We need to improve on all fronts, but we are aware of our potential”.
Nicolas Goubert – Michelin
“We have had quite a challenging weekend here at Aragón with temperatures being much cooler in the morning than we expected, so this gave a number of obstacles to overcome. All of the technicians worked very thoroughly with their teams and riders throughout the three days to make sure they made the most informed choice for today’s race, and the closeness of some of the racing showed that again we have tyres for all types of machines, riders and styles. Marc’s victory was very impressive and he set the fastest lap of the race after two-thirds distance, so we are very pleased with that as it shows the tyres worked well as the race wore on. We will take a lot of positives from this weekend, but we also learned quite a lot about how these tyres perform when the track gives very little grip during the cold mornings and we will use this data as we go forward. We now head to three long-haul races which will all have their own special challenges, but we are up for the task and excited by what is ahead.”
